Lariats Are Heroic (2.3)

Lariats Are Heroic (2.3)

…

Trespass, 1431th Street, at 12PM PST.

…

I blinked spots out of my vision while a sudden heat burst across my arms.

Instinctively, I leapt back and rolled, with a focus on smothering any flame clinging to me.

Instead of ablating any flame, though, rolling across the carpeted floor only sent pain rocketing up my arms.

Once my vision cleared, I found my arms covered in innumerable, shallow cuts.

I put two and two together.

I sent an explosive kunai towards my target. There was an explosion closer to me than I expected, which meant the projectile had travelled back. Since I wasn’t burned, that meant that I was out of the explosive’s range. However, my arms still had to be covered in cuts.

Some wind-based technique had launched my projectile back and flayed my arms.

Thankfully, I was tough, so it didn’t get more than skin deep, and just focusing on my arms and flooding them with vital energy closed the cuts. Even small shards of glass and wood from the building were pushed out, which allowed me to get ready for the next phase in the fight.

“Fuck, you’re even tougher than I thought, kid.” The leader of the gang that the witch sent me to was badly burned. One of his four arms was blackened and limp against his side. One of his two heads was out for the count, and I doubted it was still alive. It was a two-headed, four-armed ogre covered in muscle wearing only a loincloth and armed with two rifles and a club. “Well, at least you took the idiot out. For that, I promise I’ll eat you headfirst.”

I let him talk and responded to buy time so that I could heal more while he had the advantage.

Though I could already launch an attack, I wasn’t going to take the risk of hitting him with anything less than a hundred percent.

“You turned your body and let him take the blow. That was all you.” I feigned being in pain and grunted while slowing my rise to standing. I kept my hands slightly limp and leaned forward while aiming my leg-based kunai launchers at him. A smirk crossed his face, and his loincloth twitched. Right, the voice hasn’t dropped yet. “I’m a guy, just so you know.”

“Heh, you’ll be a woman when I’m done with you.”

Yeah, when I hear things like that, I’m glad I can just blow up if I lose.

Anyway, I shot first.

“Idiot, that didn’t work the—huh!?” The ogre cried out as the kunai I set to explode after 15 meters hit the floor in front of him. Since the range of each explosion was set, I could hit him with the edge of it after accounting for the delay. Orbs of heat erupted in an instant, vaporizing the floor around the kunai but, more importantly, catching the ogre’s fists and upraised rifles. “GRAH!?”

A piercing hybrid between a roar and a scream escaped the ogre’s lips as his hands were turned into charred husks and the magazines exploded. The shrapnel and molten metal generated barely affected him, burning into hide but not reaching flesh, while I closed the distance by using the orb of heat to obfuscate my charge.

Since I was wary of any more protection against arrow shenanigans, I stabbed the kunai into his legs and sent one up his crotch while sliding underneath him and slamming through the wall behind him into the outside.

Orbs of flame erupted moments later, while I landed on a building opposite of the street, and the upper half of the ogre fell through the empty hole at the topmost floor onto the floor below with a splat.

And, just to showcase ogre toughness, with one arm and nothing below the belly button, the guy tried to crawl away.

Yeah.

That’s why I always make sure to double-tap my enemies.

With a grunt, I leapt back into the smoking building to finish the ogre off and steal everything valuable inside.

I’ll need to look into whatever it did to throw a kunai back at me while its hands were full.

It was probably something that the gangs began to adopt because I was using them and senbon too often.

If I had thrown more than one at that time, I’d probably be a charred husk.

…

“Damn, laddie. You look like you put your arms through a shredder.” I followed Catherine’s gaze. I had a spare long-sleeve shirt back at the apartment, but for now my recent wounds were plain to see. Save for what my bracers protected, there were ragged cuts on my sleeves, and below it were fresh, white scars from fingertipto elbow. “Hm. Faint wind energy. You came up against a barrier, then?”

“I did. I think it’s from this tooth.” I searched the ogre’s body. Magic had lingered on it even after scrambling its remaining brain. I found the source of it in its mouth. A false, golden canine tooth with an inlaid gemstone. “Can I turn it into a charm, or is it corrupted?”

“Give it here. I’ll identify it. Consider it a first-timer discount.” Catherine snorted and caught the fang I threw her way. She touched it and considered it while I took a seat. Asakura looked at me and just raised an eyebrow, but I sighed to her that I was fine and combat-ready, and she dropped it. “Yep, it’s good use. Keep it nice and hidden underneath your clothes. It’s a mean surprise for anyone using ranged weapons. Thrice a day only, though.”

“Three times a day between dawn and sunset here on Trespass?” I asked, and Catherine’s smile widened into something vaguely sincere. She was dressed this time with tan slacks and an ironed white shirt and even had a red tie. A newly laundered tan coat was on a coat hanger by the door. Asakura was seated on the sofa and watching television. “What do I need to do to maintain it?”

“A tiny blood sacrifice, just a thimbleful, and it’s yours. The ogre you killed paid for it up front, since he wasn’t going to be regenerating that tooth. Dawn to dusk right here on Trespass is right. You’ll need to keep an eye on the day’s lengths over here… or just get one of these.” She held up a watch on her wrist. It was a typical analog watch, save for the fact that the inner face was half sun and half moon. “The dawn and sunset time limits are normal enough. I’m surprised that none of the thugs you’ve killed had one.”

“Most prefer weapons or armor, not trinkets.” That got her to nod in understanding, while I got some string from one of my pouches and tied the golden Ogre tooth up in a pseudo-sailor’s knot, which I bound to my wrist with a small length of rope. “If I use it like this and extend it from my hand with the gem facing forward, it’ll project itself like a shield, right?”

That earned a nod from Catherine, and I found myself considering the trinket with a lot more interest.

Three times a day, I now had the ability to create a wall of wind that would throw back projectiles.

“How long will it last, and how much can it take?”

“Three seconds, but it won’t stand up to anything that’ll shatter a building in one blow. Hm. 120 mm at most.” I was looking forward to hearing that it would block any projectile, but magic had its limits, I supposed. It would be sick to parry and throw back a rocket or something. Alas, I wasn’t at that stage of tomfoolery yet. “You’ve got the analytical mind being a mage requires. Are you sure you just want to learn and not abandon vital energy to become a sorcerer?”

“I’m sure. I prefer fighting. Not setting up like artillery and pounding away.” Using beams and spells was just boring. Sure, it’ll be cool for a bit, but at some point, each magic user just finds their favorites and spams them. I was already spamming explosive kunai. That’s as far as I was willing to go, honestly. “Wouldn’t mind a few tools, but I’m not dedicating myself to it.”

With that said, I motioned towards the duffel bag.

“The group you sent me after had a fair bit of cash. I’d like to learn how to bypass simple wards.”

“That’ll take the evening.” She looked over at Asakura. “Do you mind me taking your muscle for a bit, lady?”

Asakura should’ve been fine with it, but she hesitated before nodding.

“Be back an hour before midnight, or the door will be locked.” She stated primly before leaving. “On second thought, no. Be back by ten, or your contract is terminated.”

I didn’t know why she was so serious about me getting back quickly, but I didn’t intend to stick around after the lesson was over, so I didn’t ask.

Probably didn’t want me hanging around too long with a just-hired witch.

Which was fair, honestly.

…

Interlude: Asakura Hiyo, the Fiery Blade

…

Lady Hiyo laughed.

Leona looked uncomfortable.

Alecia seethed and glared at me.

“You discerned that she was half-succubus and proceeded to leave him with her!?” The vampire princess was barely stopped from going over and making a fool of herself. Her eyes were practically glowing red, and she could barely keep seated.

“She is covered in a multitude of oaths to do no harm to mortals. Nothing will happen between the two besides training.” I told her as evenly as I could. I arrived at dinnertime, which was a communal affair. As I spoke to her, I became keenly aware that she sat across from his empty seat. If he did not hide and seal his belongings, I would be worried for them. “I will not stop you if you attempt to leave again. I just wish for you to know that he will not take kindly to his training being interrupted.”

Alecia opened her mouth to argue when Lady Hiyo intervened.

“I know, Catherine. Despite all appearances, she can be trusted as long as you uphold your own end of the bargain. She’s had men before, but they were all willing partners and never more than once to ensure they’re not beguiled.” Lady Hiyo’s words made Alecia grimace, but she listened instead of arguing. “She hasn’t acted against any younger men, either. I assure you that she will not move against him, Alecia.”

I idly wondered if I should’ve mentioned the fact she appeared at the doorway only wearing panties and a sports bra.

There was the fact she purposefully made herself look human and far less beautiful, however.

Because of that, I elected to stay silent.

It was because I decided to trust her.

Not because I didn’t want trouble.

“Umm, ah. I wouldn’t leave my little brother or anyone else that’s too young with a half-succubus, but I guess if you vouch for her, Lady Hiyo… I’ll stay here.” Leona latched onto Keita despite his ambivalence and wariness around her. She told me it was most likely she had faint memories of caring for a younger sibling that she ‘felt’ when she interacted with him. “But I’ll fetch him if he’s not back by ten. You want to come, Alecia?”

Leona’s words placated Alecia a great deal.

“That sounds like a wonderful idea. I shall.” Alecia refocused on her meal, and I gave Leona a grateful nod. Keita shared a great deal of concerns regarding her and even told me of his backup plans if she were to betray us. I shared this with her in turn, and she assented to keeping them on herself. She loathed the idea of being used as a false agent and betraying us. Despite being a civilian and being forced to change, she had a strong heart and soul that remained even after all that was done to her. “What does he intend to learn, anyway? I thought that he was much like all other warriors and would devote himself to honing his physical power.”

I was ready to simply answer her question when Lady Hiyo interjected.

“Like all budding heroes at a young age, he strives to become a master of armaments, which includes all spells he can wield. The warriors of this new era specialize, and that is good for the masses and budding elites, but budding heroes need more.” Lady Hiyo spoke freely with a light blush. I looked at her glass and found a bottle of wine half-full beside it. An empty one was next to that. She had a love for drink that had her chatting away. Mother told me to keep away from her if she ever had more than two bottles. “You shouldn’t worry. He’s too young. Now, in a decade or two, you should be worried about being ravaged because he might awaken his clan’s true bloodline.”

I went still at her words, barely taking note of Alecia’s flustered declarations that she’ll never fall to Keita.

Lady Hiyo smiled and raised her glass my way.

“I’ve lived long enough to see such signs. The Uwabami’s power waxes and wanes, but in times of great crisis they always have one who is more than a great snake hidden in the grass. Instead they have a fierce dragon that rules over the land, sea, and air.” Lady Hiyo seemed lost in the past as she spoke, but her eyes gained a clarity that sent a shiver down my spine. “One of the anchors of the age has perished, and her daughter is slow to regain strength. An attack on the Hiyo Clan’s heir was launched by its fiercest rivals. Trespass fills and fills with stolen flesh, and brigands live luxuriously and wield powerful artifacts.”

She pointed my way, and a smile with lips reddened by wine and untouched by joy gilded her face.

“You will need to find people to stand by your side when the time comes. Make sure that he is there when all the horrors of the world try to seize it for themselves.” Lady Hiyo grabbed the bottle and raised it towards me in a faux toast. “I drink and pray that you will lose less than I did, my descendant.”

I could not muster a single word as she finished the whole bottle.

The dream of being a teacher guiding the next generation seemed to fade into obscurity at that moment.